Snapshots from Between : Non-binary identity construction on Instagram

Abstract: Though technically not a new phenomenon historically or geographically, non-binary identities arestarting to be more visible in Sweden, and have become a topic of both discussion concerninghuman rights and anti-discriminatory practices, but also mockery. In this thesis I wanted to have acloser look at how Swedish people identifying as neither wholly male nor female presentthemselves on social media in text and image, as well as how they describe the resistance they meetin regards to their identity and choices of presentation. Its theoretical basis lies in works of JudithButler, Jack Halberstam and Lee Edelman to examine which societal structures the subjects of thisstudy have to relate to. The source of my empirical material are ten Instagram accounts, which wereanalysed via an integrated discourse psychology/discourse theory approach. During the period ofmaterial collection, an incident in the shape of a public debate concerning trans questions had aconsiderable impact on the lives of the subjects of this study, consequentially making it a significanttheme of the thesis. The results show the difficulty of trying to hold a balance between or outsidethe gender and/or sex binary in a society which only recognizes male and female, as well as theconflicts of identity which can arise when one’s gender identity clashes with other importantpersonal values.